Out of Darkness
by First Commander Miari
Summary: First Commander Riessa was a luciferhawk who just wanted to leave and get away from her race. However, she soon finds that it won't be as easy as she thought it would be.(sort of a remake of Reluctancy, except it starts off earlier.


Riessa stood up in the midst of her fellow luciferhawk, her premature body standing out as taller than the rest of the juveniles who were being trained. A long, thin staff rested in her hand, and her face was a mask of military solemnity. The training master signaled to them silently as they went through the exercises, one synchronized group of luciferhawk that was being trained to be one of the best strike forces ever assembled. Every single one was a silent, stealthy spy that was able to creep up right behind another before they were noticed, and then it was too late. The deadly daggers that they wielded, the claws that they had been born with, they were one and the same. Every single one had been trained so that they could kill without any noise being made. There was still one question, though: who was to be the head, the First Commander. 

"Weapons down," the master announced, and all of the luciferhawk fell out of synch with each other, dropping their weapons to their sides one by one. "Now, from what I have seen, all of you have proved yourselves to be very skilled in sneak tactics, but can you fight in a head-on battle as well?" With that, he leapt into the mass of juveniles and confronted one of the youngest, Loruyi, striking at him with his rod. Startled, Loruyi jumped back and raised the slender staff, using it to parry a few attacks. When he went in for the kill, though, the master struck him down. "This is how you will all die if this continues," he said, kicking his pupil's prostate body. Riessa gazed upon it solemnly, vowing within herself never to be that weak. She wasn't going to be shown as some whimpering dog that bowed to its master without a fight.

Seeing the girl's look of blatant defiance, the master jumped at her. She ducked to avoid the attack and then bent low until one hand gripped the master's arm, and the other held a dagger to his throat. "Where did you learn this?" he asked, looking at her curiously. Angered by his condescending manner, Riessa summoned up the magic that she had kept hidden. A splash of light enveloped the room, the only relief from the darkness of Nemesis. Quick as lightning, a bolt shot out of her and killed the master. "What's going on in here?" demanded one of the commanders that had been waiting outside the secluded room. "Where is your training master?" Miari looked up at the officer, her face covered in the master's blood. "I killed him," she said coldly. "He challenged me to try and defeat him, so I did as he asked." The volatile officer laughed and stopped when she charged at him, her entire body blazing with an aura of magic.

"You won't be able to defeat me like you did that pathetic weakling of a master," the officer said, gripping her wrist with a firm grasp. His tail wound about her entire body, the constricting, volatile thing threatening to crush her.  
"How do you know?" she demanded. "You never came in here and watched us train." Frightened of their fellow pupil, the other luciferhawk waited for their chance to kill her. Perhaps if they killed her, they would be appointed First Commander for weeding out such a traitor. "I watch you squirm here," he said with a victorious smirk, "as you lie at my mercy. Unfortunately, you're not just another disposable soldier. The Elders told me to tell you that you will be leading this group, and as First Commander, you outrank me." His tail released her and she knelt on one knee, panting as blood dripped from her mouth. "Meet the council tomorrow," he said, striking her back sharply with his tail.  
"Yes," she said coldly, and waited until all others had left the room before collapsing to the ground. Bleeding, she panted furiously, wishing that someone would come to help her.

The magic that Riessa had always possessed helped her to heal so that she was able to go and meet the elders the next day. They all looked upon her warily, with the bloodstains on her face and the wounds on her body. Yet she stood before them proudly, hoping not to get her position taken on the first day. "We're sending you to Gaia, First," one of the Elders said, his gaze cold and harsh. "We can't have you starting a mutiny in Nemesis just because you are dissatisfied with the way that we have taught you. Just remember that the Luciferhawk have operated like this efficiently for years." Riessa spat on the floor defiantly, grounding it into the dust. "We kill because it satisfies our savagery, we torture because it tickles our fancy, we torture ourselves with this killing because a history of blood has taught us nothing else. That is what the luciferhawk who bore me as an infant said, and I agree. What is the purpose behind invading Gaia, taking it over? Is it another way we have found to entertain ourselves?"

Every Elder present at the meeting shrank back at the icy cold, defiant gaze that she shot at them. "It is our purpose upon this world; we train so that we can avenge our ancestors, those who were driven back by the humans. If you can't go with us, perhaps you would serve better as a human." A malicious smirk spread over the elder's face as he watched Riessa with razor-sharp eyes.  
"If it means leaving this filthy world, then yes. However, I was born under the mark of Lucifer, the one who gave birth to our race, told us to torment the humans who turned from him. I now turn my back on our ancestry. I'll leave for Gaia immediately and it will be my sanctuary, where I don't have to deal with this filthy lot"  
"No," the Elder said, standing erect. "You will take the first army of luciferhawk into Gaia and serve the purpose that you were meant to"  
"Never!" Riessa glared daggers at the elder as she flickered away to the barrier, where she would pick apart a small section before passing through easily.

The spells that had sealed the barrier were powerful, but she had been an adept user of magic before entering this training squad, having honed her skills on her own time. Slowly, she delved into the barrier and picked apart the web that existed there. "It's so deep..." she marveled, and then felt part of it dispell, leaving enough room for her to slip through. Her image faded and then she was surrounded by skyscrapers.

Before anyone could see her in her luciferhawk form, Riessa took on a human form. She had light blonde hair and icy blue eyes that were the bright color of the sea at midday. Her body was long and slender, perfect for the stealth that she specialized in. She wore a tight black strapless top and fitting black flares. A man passed her by and whistled, confusing her even more than before. There were so many strange things in Gaia already, but she decided that she would have to find her own home here, a place where she could rest safely. That was before she sensed a luciferhawk right near her. The next instinct of hers was to run away from it as quickly as possible.


End file.
